The other day, stretch therapist Sarah Mariano met with a client in a public park in Dubai for some movement therapy at sunset. The client, an avid soccer player named Hamza, was looking forward to a relaxing evening of mobility work, and Mariano was excited
to film the session for her social media platforms.
But a few minutes into the session, the pair received an unexpected visit from a playful dog, who went barreling towards them.
Mariano continued with her stretch work as the dog quietly investigated them. Thankfully, both Mariano and Hamza loved dogs, so they weren’t put off by the dog’s presence. They just continued their stretching while the dog sniffed around and eventually sat down by the soccer player’s legs.
But seconds later, another playful dog ran up to them. And then another.
“[E]ventually, dogs started appearing more and more, and they just got comfortable,” Mariano told The Dodo. “It was very cute.”
At first, Mariano and Hamza couldn’t tell why the dogs were so intrigued by their stretching. The pups had an entire grassy park in which to run around and play, but they all seemed more interested in the movement therapy taking place.
“I think they just really liked the calm energy and flow of the movement, and they probably felt how much our group loved dogs,” Mariano said.
As the stretching continued, the dogs’ curiosity grew. The sniffing went on for a few more minutes, and it was all going relatively well until one pup tried marking his territory on the soccer player.
Some may have been put off by the gesture, but Mariano and Hamza made the best out of the unusual situation.
“I kept stretching him even after the pee incident because he was totally zenned out and wanted more stretches, and he loved having the dogs around,” Mariano said. “The owner of the dog came over … he gave us some tissues and stuff, and it was all good. It was funny.”
The stretch therapy continued for another hour, ending after the sun was already down. But despite the nightfall, the dogs refused to leave Mariano and Hamza’s side.
“It was getting dark, but the dogs were hanging out for a while,” Mariano said. “As long as the dogs were out there, they would come chill.”
You can watch the pups approach them here:
Eventually, the pair wrapped up their stretching session and said goodbye to the pups in the park. Since Mariano is mostly used to working with clients at parks in the United States, where there tends to be stricter leash policies and less dogs running around, this experience in Dubai instantly became one she would never forget.
“I wish we could have these stretch moments more often,” Mariano said. “It truly was a dream come true!”
